My pup and I hiked last week in the rain.
Because of the unusually warm weather we had prior to this cold spell, the wild plum trees have blossomed early. Each year, we grab buckets and bags and pick wild plums to make jams and jellies. Our favorite are the tiny, sweet-tart yellow plums.
Most jam recipes call for equal parts of fruit and sugar. Because we like our fruit preserves on the tart side, I usually add half as much sugar as fruit and simmer just a bit longer at a lower heat. I store the jam in the fridge - I'd use my canner to preserve it, but we eat the good stuff so fast, there's no point!
The basic recipe? Super simple.
8 cups pitted ripe plums
4 cups sugar
the juice of half a lemon
Mix the fruit together with the sugar and let stand for 1-2 hours. Bring to a slow simmer in a stainless steel pot or Dutch oven, add lemon juice, and stir frequently. Do not allow jam to scorch! Simmer gently for, oh, I don't know, an hour or so, until the mixture becomes spreadable. I usually test a small spoonful from time to time, until the jam reaches the consistency we like - a little on the runny side so we can drizzle it over hot biscuits.
My girls like to add ingredients like a spoonful of vanilla extract or a cinnamon stick to the jam as it simmers. I prefer just plain yellow plum jam. The plum tree in the photo is growing out of an ancient, eroded lava flow. Nice!
Most jam recipes call for equal parts of fruit and sugar. Because we like our fruit preserves on the tart side, I usually add half as much sugar as fruit and simmer just a bit longer at a lower heat. I store the jam in the fridge - I'd use my canner to preserve it, but we eat the good stuff so fast, there's no point!
The basic recipe? Super simple.
8 cups pitted ripe plums
4 cups sugar
the juice of half a lemon
Mix the fruit together with the sugar and let stand for 1-2 hours. Bring to a slow simmer in a stainless steel pot or Dutch oven, add lemon juice, and stir frequently. Do not allow jam to scorch! Simmer gently for, oh, I don't know, an hour or so, until the mixture becomes spreadable. I usually test a small spoonful from time to time, until the jam reaches the consistency we like - a little on the runny side so we can drizzle it over hot biscuits.
My girls like to add ingredients like a spoonful of vanilla extract or a cinnamon stick to the jam as it simmers. I prefer just plain yellow plum jam. The plum tree in the photo is growing out of an ancient, eroded lava flow. Nice!
6 comments:
What a beautiful place and what a wonderful cook you are. Can I come visit?
I ma so jealous of you. You always have these beautiful pictures of nature. You went hiking and got plums??? OMG I wish I could do that. That jam looks so good.
Well, the jam is from last year's batch. Right now the trees are in bloom and I hope they produce because it got so cold last week the bees couldn't pollinate.
Plum jam is my favorite. We used to pick wild plums when I lived in Iowa and make jam. Yum!
your recipe made my mouth water. And I loved that that old plum tree is growing out of an ancient, eroded lava flow.
Sounds excellent, looks yummy, but we still have snow cover. Maybe later if spring ever comes.
I know, Sherry - it's great!
Sorry about your snow, Rhobin. The perks of California!
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